Castore turns 10 this month. Its first decade was built on winning kit deals; its next one is about adapting when they change hands, rotating Formula 1 partners and building Belstaff and Grenson into a second growth lever alongside sponsorship.
Castore turns 10 this month, and the anniversary is a good moment to see how much the brand has learned to adapt. The brand marked the milestone on Instagram, calling it “The First Decade Was Just The Warm Up,” and the phrase fits: the playbook that built Castore in its first 10 years is not the one it is running now.
The Manchester-headquartered sportswear brand, founded in 2016 by brothers Tom and Phil Beahon, grew fast on marquee kit deals, Oracle Red Bull Racing, McLaren, elite football and rugby clubs. That approach worked as a growth engine, but it also meant Castore’s fortunes moved with decisions made by other people’s teams. When McLaren opted to switch to PUMA a year early for the 2026 season, and when Red Bull confirmed a move to adidas from 2027, Castore had to move too, replacing McLaren with Haas.
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It did, preparing for its next chapter. Two heritage acquisitions in roughly a year, outerwear label Belstaff and 160-year-old shoemaker Grenson, are means to build a second growth lever and extend to new markets.
The financing is built for that kind of flexibility too. Castore secured a £90 million (€105m) revolving credit facility with HSBC UK, BNP Paribas and Lloyds in May, giving it room to fund new UK stores and enter the Middle East and Asia on its own timeline rather than waiting on sponsorship cash flow.
Castore has largely built its sponsorship strategy around clubs, franchises and team properties, a cheaper and often more flexible approach than competing for the world’s most expensive national-team contracts. That strategy now spans football through partnerships such as Rangers, Cardiff City from the 2026/27 season and an exclusive Umbro Professional Team Sports sub-license covering the UK and six European markets, rugby through Bath, Saracens and England Rugby, and individual athletes including tennis player Andy Murray. The breadth of that portfolio creates a diversified rights base, reducing the company’s dependence on any single partner.
Product expansion is following a similar diversification logic. A five-year licensing agreement with Apparel Brands, beginning in 2026, gives the partner responsibility for developing, manufacturing and distributing Castore-branded socks and underwear across the UK and Europe. The deal extends Castore’s reach beyond its core performance apparel categories and creates an additional licensing-driven revenue stream, complementing the company’s growing portfolio of lifestyle assets.
Castore’s own account of the next decade leans on the same theme, in less analytical terms. The brand calls its story ‘still being written,’ pointing to more athletes, more title runs and more defining moments still to come under its long-standing Better Never Stops banner. That ambition will be tested by the same pace of change that marked the first 10 years, another sponsorship swap, another acquisition, as the brand moves into its second decade.
